Progressive Transcendence
by GenesisZen
Summary: Reaching perfection is futility, one is condemned to lose everything when it is reached. Learn from this, regain what was lost, and progress beyond. Transcend perfection. Trick is the Prequel...
1. Chapter I

"I'm... back?" a tired voice echoed through a dimly dark room. An absolutely massive computer can be seen against the wall, a single gigantic monitor with 6 smaller ones lining the left and right, countless upon countless lines of text scrawling through rapidly, blurring into an imprint for but a brief moment, ONE CHANCE. A shuffle of noise is heard, indicating movement when a figure rises from the ground, slowly with the weight of infinite truth on its shoulder's.

"One chance huh?... hahaha… thank you. I won't waste it." the figure mutters to himself, "But what now? Perfection has been tainted, there is no goal for me to strive for. Unless… there is no progress for me here, but there surely is in other places. I just have to find a way to reach them."

Walking up to the control panel in front of the monitors, the figure plops down on the seat. "Computer," the figure commanded brushing up his hair leaning back, the lights slowly flickering to life illuminating the room, "open a new project folder." with the more lights turning on, the room is revealed to be a massive complex, several machines lighting up, "the main goal, learn."

With the room, no complex, illuminated, the figure is fully seen. The figure was male, standing around 5ft 8in. A youthful face with few blemishes, but a heavy tint of age, speaking of great experience, hair of white and grey, and tired eyes of silvery grey, a fire slowly budding, focusing on the monitor, a spark of electricity bouncing from his left eye.

Standing up, the figure continued on, "I sacrificed too much, I need to regain all I have lost, and learn some more." Walking towards a door to his left, "I'm going to need something to help me do this. Something that will grow with me, progress with me." opening the door, revealing a wide array of clothing, reaching for a simple white dress shirt, black vest black dress pants and black leather dress boots, the figure began to change attire. "Something with some level of sentience, able to do anything I may need it to, a companion… a friend."

Taking off his shirt, the man felt an unfamiliar object hanging from his neck. "What the?" Looking down, the object is identified as a small purple gemstone in a marquis cut hanging on a simple black strap. "A gift!" the man exclaimed, "But what does it do? Hmmm… later, I'll find out later." Leaving the gem alone, the man finished changing.

Returning back to the control panel, the man opened a new board. "A changing machine huh? It needs a lot of variety...hmm… variety. I see. Computer. Designate tool name, Variable Systems Module, code name VSM. Set new blueprint for designs."

Walking away from the monitor, "It's a new beginning yes? Perfect." Turning back the man shouted, "Computer! Finalise set up. Wipe my personal history. It's a new beginning. Designate new name: Baethan Quinn." walking away once again, "infinite class, final project name: Progressive Transcendence."


	2. Chapter II

The soft tinkling of a piano, the velvety dark lighting and the gentle hum of machinery, Quinn is found surrounded by these as he meticulously examined the purple gem previously found around his nape. Setting it on a gridded panel, a line of light went through the Gem, and a digital replica of it appears on a separate screen.

"Unusual wave patterns… unpredictable and displacing atomic structure, an immeasurable amount of subatomic particles… What is this? A separate sample must be acquired." seizing a monomolecular scalpel, Quinn sliced off a minute shard of the gem, just enough to have a discernible shift in its mass. "No reaction… unusual, I thought it would explode cause of the incredibly unstable structure."

Turning away and laying the separate shard in a vacuum storage unit, Quinn faced the central gem and was shocked when it started to regain the mass it lost. "Well… that… is not physically possible." glancing at the vacuum storage, "and it didn't take it back from the separate sample. How is it creating mass?" pressing several keys, a device popped out. Taking it, Quinn set it over the gem and flipped a switch on the devices' side. Waiting for a few moments, a graph appeared on the monitor designated Energy Level. "An exponential graph huh? And it's still increasing…" Cutting another shard out of the gem, Quinn observed that the line dipped, yet in a matter of seconds, recovered the lost energy and kept increasing.

"So it's an energy cell… with an infinitely increasing amount of potential energy in it. I guess that somehow explains how it regains its mass." Laying the gem down and taking the shard, Quinn placed the shard onto an observer panel. "So it's not increasing in energy levels. It's just a power cell. But what if I gave it power?" Quinn asked, relocating the shard onto a recharging station. Attaching 2 small jumper cables on the shard, Quinn turned on the current and observed the shard increasing in mass and size. "Interesting, so it compensates the increase in energy by growing."

Taking the shard off the recharging station, "Now… can this work?", Quinn wondered as he placed the shard on a separate machine, Quinn then keyed in a few commands, moments later, a high pitched whine came from the device as the shard was bombarded by subatomic particles, causing the unstable atomic and molecular structure of the shard to shift and contort. As this was happening, stray bolts of electricity were beginning to crackle on the surface of the shard.

"Oh, Shit!" Quinn exclaimed in surprise as he dove behind his desk, quickly revealing a panel and pushing a button, the machine is abruptly encased in a 3m thick lead plated titanium-steel alloy, just in time for the shard to release a blinding flash of purple light, and explode violently. Peeking over the desk, Quinn questioned out, "What happened?! Computer! Bring out the final readings of the manipulator." Responding to Quinn's command, a monitor pops out displaying a multitude of graphs, tables and diagrams. "Let's see... it looks like that the discharge of electricity and subsequent explosion was caused by the release of excess energy. And since the shard contained an absurd amount of energy... that could have turned out extremely dangerous."

As the mess was slowly cleaned up, Quinn went ahead and sliced off 2 more shards from the parent gem. "Let's test it with 2 shards, could probably work... not sure." Taking the 2 shards, Quinn repeated the experiment in another manipulator. "Change shard 1 in 3...2...1!" Diving behind another desk, Quinn observed the same processes. A high pitch whine sounded through the lab, however, instead of the electricity produced from the shard bouncing about on the first shard, it began to jump towards the second shard and be seemingly absorbed. A few seconds tick by and - with a quick burst of white light - the first shard turned into a golden pocket watch, and the second shard increasing in size.

"Ok... it worked. So I can make anything from the shards, and the shards - and subsequently the main gem - can absorb energy, whether directly or indirectly." Quinn muttered to himself. Taking small, tentative steps towards the manipulator, Quinn slowly took the pocket watch with a gloved hand, placing it on a large petri-dish and relocating it to a vacuum storage unit. "Readings," Quinn commanded. Several tables and graphs appeared on a monitor displaying energy readings and more importantly, atomic signatures for the pocket watch, confirming that it is indeed a pocket watch. "I guess this is a successful experiment then. Congratulations me." cheered Quinn to himself, " Now onto other matters."

"Next step, reversing the change, I could probably use the force dampener to weaken the forces holding the atoms in the object together thus separating the atoms, use a mass to energy converter on the atoms, and then have the energy absorbed in the second shard. And since the shards increase in size when energy is given to it, I can have the remaining shard split in 2, thus having no loss unless other circumstances affect it."

Months later, Quinn is seen hunched over the gem chuckling to himself. "This is a gift all right... Jesus Christ..." Months of researching and experimenting with the Gem yielded exciting yet terrifying conclusions. Using certain machines with specific functions revealed different abilities of the Gem.

Creating objects and reverting it back to its previous shard form was possible using a matter manipulator for creation, and a force dampener and converter to revert it back. This is its necessary capabilities, creation and destruction. Ideal for manufacturing garments, food, medicines, drugs, armaments and so much more. But its primary purpose was travelling, specifically Omniversal Travelling.

The Omniverse. Different and more complex from the simple multiverse. The Omniverse is actually considerably simple to describe. Starting small, imagine a book or a book series, fiction would be best, let's say the Harry Potter series. The HP books represent the central universe of HP. Any other stories based on the HP books are separate universes in the HP multiverse. Visualise this as a bubble, a bubble. Take another book or series, for example, Frankenstein. The book will have its own multiverse, with different scenarios but still the same people.

These 2 multiverses can intercept with each other. Forming a 'crossover' connecting the 2. This 'crossover' will emerge as an isolated universe, not a multiverse, All these multiverses are all contained in 1 omniverse. Every multiverse is just approximately 1 %, everything else is just pure energy. This is what the Gem is gathering its power from.

Travelling the Omniverse only requires a shard from the Gem to be enclosed entirely by dark matter, this forces the shard to exhaust all of its energy in a contained explosion, rendering an orbicular space encompassing it 6ft high by 2ft wide, utterly void of everything. The 4 fundamental forces of nature are devoid of any meaning in this space. Gravity, electromagnetism, the strong and weak force are rendered null and void. By entering this space, one is transported directly outside of the multiverse they are in, and are located in an eternal void between the multiverses.

This void can appear uniquely to various people based on their life, a soldier from the time before guns were invented entering the Void may view it as an everlasting barren plane of weapons stabbed into the ground. For Quinn, when first entering the Void, observed it a limitless library, shelves upon shelves of books.

While inside the Void, a traveller is able to visit the various worlds incredibly easily. For Quinn, all he had to do was to pick up a book and open it. This enabled him to travel back to his own world, not another one for he did not have the necessary equipment for a return.

Returning back to Quinn, still chuckling to himself, "Ha... so I can travel anywhere, this just makes Project: PT even longer... and it was already an infinite class... well... more things to work for. I just need a way to defend myself, collect information and make travelling easier." Glancing at all the machines, devices and instruments he used to interact with the Gem, "I need to compress all of these and put it 1 small tool. Fortunately... Computer! List what I just said to sub-project: VSM."

Some moons pass, and Quinn has completed the VSM. Able to carry out anything he would require, with automatic precepts. The VSM main objective is to: Defend Quinn, collect data, allow for Omniversal travel, be a companion. To accomplish these objectives, Quinn developed the VSM to be able to change form by utilising gem shards built-in the VSM. To defend Quinn, the VSM is capable of emitting electrical shockwaves at hostiles, or, alternatively, Quinn can turn the VSM units into any weapon he sees fit to use in the current situation.

To collect data, the VSM units are fitted with every data collection machine Quinn has used. To travel, Quinn designed the separate VSM units, Model-P, for the opening of the portals needed. And to accomplish the companion goal, the VSM is included with a learning AI... it's essentially JARVIS, but more snarky... not everything is thought out my dudes... anyways...

To fit all of these machines and bulky circuitry, each VSM unit is equipped with a hammerspace, this is made feasible by using a shard, changed, so that is has such a powerful gravitational influence that it folds space, enabling Quinn to fit all the needed machinery inside. The actual unit itself and anything surrounding it are protected by a 'skin-tight' null field, Quinn designed it to emulate the nullifying characteristics of the portals used to travel.

To control the VSM, Quinn implanted the main control chip in his brain, to communicate directly to the VSM AI, visual implants so that he can track each of the VSM units' conditions, and finally, circuitry embedded in his fingers and hands to detect their locations, to send messages to the central control chip in his brain. This was to interact with the holographic interfaces on each unit, to be able to manually control each one.

With his research on the Gem and the completion of the VSM, Quinn was finally, after 3 years of dedicated research, ready to begin exploring the omniverse. Funnily enough, the hardest part for him was deciding which world he would travel to first. His research really only took 2 and a half years, choosing which realm to go to took an additional 6 months to decide. However, Quinn finally resolved to travel to the world of RWBY, the main rationalising was to study Dust.

"VSM! Initiate Gate protocol, it's time." Quinn commanded, "Yes sir." VSM replied, "Gate opening in 5..." a VSM unit flew a few feet in front of Quinn. "4... " the unit began to whirl in place, gaining speed swiftly, then it began to crack. "3... " a clap of thunder burst from the unit, a purple flash emitting from it as the very space around the unit splintered and fractured, into infinitesimal pieces leaving the shard to spin upon its axis at unimaginable speeds. "2... " the shattered space around the VSM started to violently funnel into the epicentre, a great and terrible tempest howling and the sounds of the unknown deep reverberated, a silent wail growing ever tumultuous originating from the shard, when at its most powerful point... "1!" The shard disappeared. Silence. A gate has been opened, peering into it. An all-consuming eclipse, stillness. Nothing.

"I still hate this... so much. No choice though." Quinn thought, stepping towards the portal. Taking one final look back at his lab, "Heh. Not, good times... but times all the same." Taking the final step in the portal. Quiet.

The Lab is still, the dust begins to settle, a click is heard through the sound systems, and the melodious tinkling of a piano rose to play transversely across the lab, the lights turned off one by one, replaced by a tender, velvety red. Tranquil and calm. And so it shall be until the return.


	3. Chapter III

All is quiet in the Void when in an instant, a rip echoes through the vast expanse as the Void began to twist and contort, a deep groaning replacing the stilled silence. A figure appears as the Void relinquishes control over its appearance. "Hahhh... that always feels weird." the figure, Quinn, comments to himself, as he looks around Quinn asked, "VSM, located the book designation: O1-M3-U1-P1. RWBY-verse". "Right away sir..." a VSM unit replied as an electromagnetic pulse ripples through, originating from the unit, going as far as 25 km, "12km north sir". "Jesus Christ... that is far... VSM, vehicle mode, Motorbike model."

"Right away sir." A unit flew to Quinn's side as it flashed a white light, as a bike appeared. Mounting the bike, Quinn sped away to the location of the book. Shelves upon shelves of books rushed past Quinn's peripherals, their titles being just a blur to him. Yet, he could just barely read some noted ones: Game of Thrones, Pride and Prejudice, Lord of the Rings. "Huh... never seen them before. Should probably check them out someday."

Coming to a stop, Quinn dismounted from his bike and walked towards a section of a shelve to his left. Taking a tome labelled, RWBY. "Ok... let's do this." Opening the book, a great light spewed forth, engulphing Quinn in its ethereal embrace. Closing his eyes, Quinn felt his body fade away, piece by piece, molecule by molecule, atom by atom. Until... silence... the Void twists back to quiet darkness, as Quinn is transported to the world of RWBY.

* * *

The tranquil ambience of the forests of Mistral greets Quinn on his first steps in the new world. The melodious birdsongs calling out to him, the powerful yet gentle crashing roar of a waterfall rumbling down below, clueing him to his location. The crisp morning air, calm and peaceful as the rays of the morning star dyed the woods in hues of impeccable warmth, wrapping the image in an ever-distant utopia of serenity. "That... is a really, really good impression. If there is a God for this universe, congratulations."

A sound. Whipping back, Quinn locked his eyes on a dark figure. It stood at on four paws, standing at 3ft to its shoulders, reminiscent of a wolf, but leaning more to a person inflicted with lycanthropy. A coat of consuming darkness, a mask of bone, ornately decorated, plates of hardened cartilage scattered its form, foot-long spikes running down its spine, claws so sharp, looking at it causes past scars to ache, and eyes of red, so deep and filled with such spite and malice, the air around them seem to distort.

"Well... that's terrifying. A beowolf, If I'm not wrong." Quinn quipped quietly, swiftly raising his arm up and facing his palm at the beowolf. At the command, 6 VSM units flew up to encircle his hand at the 12, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 positions as they began to orbit as each unit fired a small stream of electrons that gathered near the front of his palm. With a slight twitch of his fingers, a massive bolt of electricity blasted forth, striking the beowolf with 10 gigajoules, disintegrating it. "Uh... VSM... note to self, don't use too much power. Jesus... you could see the pain in its eyes."

Deciding to ignore the carnage, Quinn commanded one of the units to his hand, applying pressure to it. Doing this, a holographic interface screened out the top of the unit. "Ok, start the mapping sequence." Quinn keyed in, a map appearing on his screen, "Good, I should probably start looking for civilization." Quinn muttered, "Need to get to some sort of information centre. VSM, ping for the nearest sentient life-form." [Right away sir... nearest life-form at 200 miles south-east, would you like transportation or would you like to go on foot, sir?]

"200 miles... are you seriously asking me this question? Why would I ever want to walk 200 miles?!" Quinn asked, disbelief in his voice. [Of course sir... ] replied a VSM unit with a hint of sarcasm. "Heh..."

* * *

TIme passes by, and Quinn finally reached the Kingdom of Mistral. Integrated into a towering mountain, separated into levels, one could see the poor on the bottom levels and the rich at the top. The architectural design of Eastern origins, "Man... this world just has beautiful sight after beautiful sight."

Entering the middle levels, Quinn walked through the streets watching the people mingling about. Approaching one of the locals, an old man running a stand, Quinn inquired "Excuse me, do you know where I can find a library? Preferably a large one." The old man looked towards Quinn and pointed at the top of the mountain. Following the old man's finger, Quinn's eyes are directed to the top of the mountain, towards Haven Academy. "Not what I was thinking of, but it will work." Quinn thought to himself as he thanked the old man, "I don't want to mess too much with the upcoming events." [Sir] VSM messaged him directly, [I would recommend that you set up an identity in the case someone decides to look into you]."Good thinking. I could probably do it at the academy's headmaster's office. If not, I would need to set up contact with a good forgery."

"In the meantime, I should head to the Academy, gotta get that sweet knowledge... never again."

Haven Academy. One of the four Huntsman Academies. Beautifully designed to replicate the look of a sprawling ancient Chinese mansion. With a spacious quadrangle and a massive grand hall. Built to comfortably hold about 3000 students. Walking through the school, Quinn noticed that the school was suspiciously empty. "Empty..." Quinn thought, "I see, Beacon must have fallen. Qrow and the rest should be coming around soon."

Walking up to the headmaster's office, Quinn knocked on the door and waited. Some scrambling is heard on the other side, as moments later the door slowly opens. A tanned middle-aged man with a mane of grey hair and beard appears, the headmaster of Haven Academy, Leonardo Lionheart."Hello? May I help you?"

"Quinn, Baethan Quinn. I came here to request access to Haven's library." Quinn answered. "I see. Why don't you come in my office, Mr Quinn?" Stepping inside the headmaster's office, a semi-circular room with windows running along the walls. Lionheart sat on his desk, subtly observing Quinn.

"May I ask why would you want access to Haven's library? I would think that the many public libraries in the kingdom would hold the information you seek." Lionheart inquired, leaning forward on his mahogany desk.

"Well, I wanted to do research on Aura, Dust and the like, and I reckoned that I would find more... uncensored information in a huntsman academy, for a greater understanding of the matters I wish to look in to." Quinn replied, walking around the office. Taking note of a discrete irregularity on the far wall to the left. "Must be the secret passage." Quinn thought.

"Understandable. However, I would question why a civilian would need to research such things. I don't suppose you're a Huntsman, are you? You do have the build for it. And it would be suspicious for a random to come here to learn more thoroughly about such matters, I would think that you would go straight to Atlas for such things."

"I would. And I will. It's just that this was the nearest place I could go to."

"I see. Well, it seems that there is nothing wrong with allowing you access to the library. I would just need you to present everything you look for, to me. For security purposes, of course." Lionheart confirmed standing up and walking towards Quinn

"Understandable." Quinn thanked and walked towards the door. Hearing the faintest footfalls of someone running, Quinn jumped back just as the door bursts open, five figures standing on the other side, weapons drawn. Quinn noted Lionheart screaming along with three of the figures. The man, likely responsible for kicking the door open - note his extended foot, looked to Quinn and Lionheart with a confused expression on his face suddenly looked down, and losing his balance, collapsed on the floor.

Quinn noted another sound coming from Lionheart as he looked back just in time to see him briefly faint and regain consciousness. "Well... that's a thing. I'll be at the library headmaster." Quinn said, walking away quickly while leaving a VSM unit discretely, "Hello Qrow, and RNJR."

* * *

"So this is the library." Quinn observed, "big place... not as impressive as the Void, but that's unfair." Walking to a computer on the front desk, Quinn keyed in for books on Dust. Printing out the list, Quinn relayed to the VSM to gather all the materials on Dust and copy all the data to a separate drive. "Ok, now for an identity for this world."

Pulling up a drive, Quinn plugged it in the computer and began typing. "Ok.

Name: Baethan Quinn

Age: 25

Sex: Male

Height: 180cm

Bio: Born on a settlement on the outskirts of Mistral. Born into a family of scientists. Settlement fell to a Grimm horde. Only survivor."

"That looks alright," Quinn stated. [Sir, your an idiot. A biography cannot be that short.] "I'd like to see you do better."

[ Challenge accepted, sir.

Bio: Born on a settlement on the outskirts of Mistral. Born to Shirley and Fabian Quinn. Parents were both scientists and therefore inspired him to follow their footsteps. When Quinn was 18, his village was overwhelmed by a Grimm horde, leaving him to be the only survivor. In grief, Quinn took parents goal of understanding the inner workings of the Grimm, Dust and Aura. ]

"Ok... that's better I guess. But it is not encompassing."

[It's made like that so that others won't look too deeply into you, sir]

"Fair enough. Did you upload it already?"

[Yes sir.]

"Good. Now, bring up the recording of Qrow, Leo and RNJR."

[Right away, sir]

Quinn: "Hello Qrow, and RNJR"

Female voice #1: "Uh, Professor Lionheart?"

A gasp is heard along with the shuffling of movement.

Lionheart: "Qrow! For crying out loud, you nearly scared me to death!

Qrow: "Me? Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance? And who was that guy?

Lionheart: Huh? Oh, right. Apologies. I guess time slipped me away from me.

Qrow: "You're joking. And you didn't answer the second question."

Lionheart: "That was Quinn, he was here to ask for access to the library."

Female voice #2: "Where is everybody?"

Lionheart: "Ah you must be the students Qrow mentioned."

Female voice #1: "Yes, sir. Ruby Rose."

Male voice #1: "Jaune Arc."

Female voice #2: "Nora Valkyrie."

Male voice #2: "Lie Ren."

"Ok skip." [Yes sir]

"Ok, Maiden, Raven, Cinder... what? Ok... and nothing of importance... wait."

Qrow: "And one final thing, where did that man go?"

Lionheart: "Hn? Oh! The library, he would be there."

Qrow: "Good... I gotta couple of questions for him."

Lionheart: "Why?"

Qrow: "I don't know. He seems kinda suspicious."

"Well then." The sound of doors opening, "Hide." Picking up a book, and turning to a random page, Quinn began reading. "Hey." The deep voice of Qrow called out to him, "You. Who are you." Turning around to face the man, Quinn answered, "Hey Qrow. Quinn, Baethan Quinn's the name. How can I help you." Coming closer to Quinn, Qrow questioned menacingly, "You can start by telling me what you want."

"What I want? I want to learn." Quinn returned, "Why do you think I'm at a library?" Squinting his eyes and drawing even closer to Quinn, Qrow demanded, "Yeah? And how did you know my name and the name RNJR, huh?"

"Really? You're pretty well known, you know? Qrow Branwen, member of team STRQ, the team known as the best of their generation. It would be a surprise if I didn't know your name, or at least your team's name."

"You didn't answer the second question..." growled Qrow.

"Jesus... what's with all the hostility?" Quinn muttered, "If you want to know, I watched the Vytal Festival broadcast, saw their names, and following the pattern of team naming, came to the conclusion of the team name RNJR... Granted, I could have also said JNRR as a team name, but RNJR seemed much more appropriate."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you guys look like you've been dragged through a forest. Forest leading to forest hunters, leads to rangers, leads to the name RNJR."

Squinting his eyes even further, "Jesus how much can this go?", Qrow pulled back from Quinn slowly, as he held a contemplative look on his face, "And why are you here?" Qrow asked, finally, with a more friendly, albeit still slightly apprehensive, tone.

"As I said, to learn." Quinn answered, "And before you ask, I came here due to the more informative materials provided in huntsman academies. And yes, I came here because Haven was the closest to my prior location. Now is the interrogation over? I would really like to get back to this book."

"Ok, you're off the hook for now. But if you do anything suspicious at all, I'm taking you down." Qrow warned as he walked away.

Watching this, Quinn shouted out, "Hey!" As Qrow turned to look at him, "There's a pretty good bar on the middle-class section! You look like a man that would like a drink. You should go sometime. I don't know, maybe meet someone special!"

With a deadpan look at Quinn, Qrow turned back and walked away. "Heh."

* * *

"So did you get what you wanted from that guy?" the chipper voice of Ruby, asked Qrow. "Yeah, I got it. Turned out he's just researching something."

"Seems kinda weird he knew the team's name" Jaune noted.

"Yeah, but he explained it" Qrow replied.

"Are you gonna tell us why?"

"Hmmm, no."

"Oooo! Maybe he's psychic?" Nora wondered.

"No."


	4. Chapter IV

"And there we go. I officially have an identity." Quinn muttered to himself while staring at the screen, "That was way too easy. What even is this security?" A VSM unit flew nearby, [It is unfair to compare us to them, sir] Looking up, Quinn sighed, "Yeah, but still." Grasping the unit, Quinn opened up an interface, "So have you finished the copy?"

[Yes, sir. There were about 2 terabytes of data on Dust.] Scrunching up his face in confusion, Quinn asked, "Why so little? I know that this isn't Atlas, but I expected that there would be more. This is a Huntsman Academy yeah?" Keying in a few commands, Quinn scanned the information presented and began to memorise the key facts on dust available.

"Interesting, I should start experimenting then." Quickly finishing his readings, Quinn stood up and walked towards the exit, bent on getting resources for experimentation. "How do I get the funds for this though?" Quinn asked the VSM, [Mayhaps you should steal the Dust needed, we can already produce a Lab.] A contemplative look dawned on Quinn's face as he considered the option.

"Maybe, but that may attract even more unwanted attention. It may distract the characters, they might think Roman's back. Who knows what that may do to the timeline." Correcting himself, "Well, even more than I already, probably, did just by being here. Maybe I should sell raw materials, I can make them."

[That is probably the smarter option, sir. But we must be cautious not to sell too much material, in case the economy crashes.] Coming up to the main doors of the academy, Quinn glanced at the VSM as a small chuckle escaped his lips, "Heh, of course."

"Should I have a base though? It would be good for scheduling." Quinn asked, "Or should I just have a portable lab using you? It would be pretty cool, imagine people's reaction to that. Or imagine Ironwood's! Haha!"

[Should I use a copy of The LAB then, sir?]

"Oh, you kept a copy? That's good my dude, that's good. Let's do that then." Realising that they were already in the middle of town, "How?" shaking his head, Quinn approached the nearest civilian and asked about the location of the closest jeweller, "Oh, just head down the main street, there are a few." the civilian responded. Quinn thanked the civilian and headed down to the shop. "Change some shards into gemstones," Quinn ordered, "Make them really nice, eh?"

A couple hours later, Quinn walked out of the last jeweller heading back again to the school a new millionaire, holding his Lien in a storage compartment in a VSM unit disguised as a wallet. "Heh, easy money."

[That isn't fair, sir. You technically have an infinite supply of resources. Remember, do not crash the economy.]

"Yeah, yeah. Oversaturation and all that. Tell me something I don't know."

[You didn't get to the part where the records state that the origins of Dust are unknown. And that the exact science of Dust is also not that thoroughly looked in. Though Atlas may have some semblance of knowledge of how specifically the SDC.]

"Not literally. Though that is interesting, should I ask Weiss about it? She is the heir."

[Maybe, sir, maybe. By the way, we are back. Scans show that Qrow, RNJR and Lionheart are still here.]

"Convenient, I should head on over. Where are they?"

[Not here, at the dormitory, just about outside the Academy.]

"Alright."

* * *

8 figures gathered around in a room, surrounding a jade coffee table, a tall man with greying black hair, dull red eyes, a slight stubble, and a pretty spiffy suit, stands while the others sit, Qrow. The others recognised due to their colour schemes, Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, Weiss Schnee, Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, and the newest addition, Oscar Pine.

We join them in the middle of a meeting, Oscar Pine is speaking, his voice is off, a mix of a young man's tone, matching his youthful appearance, but with the weight of an old man, tired but determined. "The road ahead is filled with hardships and peril. However, it's been far too long since you have all been together." Placing his hand on Yang's shoulder as he looks to her, and the rest with the gaze of an old mentor, "Please, take tonight, enjoy this moment."

Knock. The group all turned their heads towards the front door, all is still for just a fleeting moment. Knock. Qrow begins to take small, tentative steps towards the door, his hand slowly reaching for the door handle, twisting it ever so gently. His other hand gripping his weapon tightly. He swings the door open, catching it with his foot before it slams into the wall.

"Hey! Is Weiss Schnee in the house?"

* * *

Minutes before, Quinn was walking towards the house conversing with the VSM units. "So, should I listen in and wait till the opportune moment to barge right in?"

[Maybe, sir. It would be hilarious. Though you might get attacked. They are in a high tension situation, after all.]

"Bah! Who cares! You got my back yeah? It's fine."

[That may be so sir, but coming in at such a moment may worsen their opinion of you, especially Ozma, or Oscar as the body he's occupying right now]

"That is interesting, no? Wonder how a single brain can contain the personalities, memories, and other nonsense without imploding on itself. Not to mention Ozma is definitely over a couple thousand years old."

[Magic, sir, magic.]

"Yeah, but that's a broad statement. How is the magic doing that exactly."

[I wouldn't know, sir. You would have to ask Ozma or contact the two brother gods.]

"Yeah... oh hey! We're here."

[Yes sir, scanning their conversation and comparing it to sources, they are about to finish their meeting, your 'optimal' time is approaching in t-minus 20 seconds]

"Nice, by the way, we'll communicate directly when interacting with them, and refer to Ozma as Ozpin, don't wanna give that info up this early."

[Yes, sir. Time approaching, 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.]

Knock. A few scant seconds skip. Try again. Knock. Time ticks. Boom. The door opens. Qrow. "Hey! Is Weiss Schnee in the house?" Looking at the faces of the people inside, Quinn notices them all breathe a small sigh of relief, but suspicious and subconsciously putting their bodies in front of Weiss. Oscar, or Ozpin at the moment, remains impassive, but with a slightly curious visage.

"Oh, it's you. What are you doing here?" Qrow asks, his eyes squinting ever so slightly, standing up straighter. "Looking for Weiss Schnee, I have some questions for her." Quinn replied good-naturedly, taking a dramatic look into the room, he speaks, "Oh! There she is!" Quinn, about to walk to Weiss, is halted by Jaune, "And what do you want with her?"

"Jesus kid, relax, just got some questions on Dust and with the heir to the SDC around, I reckoned that she would be someone who has the answers I need."

Yang, stalking up to Quinn, "And what are these questions?" Placing his hands up in a placating manner, Quinn, with a small chuckle responded, "Relax Yang, you guys can stay if you want to hear."

"I didn't say my name."

Rubbing his eyes, "Kid, your name is public knowledge, since, you know, you broke Mercury's leg. Now, will you let me speak to Weiss? It's just a few questions."

Weiss, who had been silent for the duration, finally speaks, "Very well. Ask your questions." Breathing a small sigh of relief, Quinn took a seat adjacent to Weiss and began.

"So. The SDC have any theories on the origins of Dust and how mixing it works?" Quinn inquired.

"Origins of dust? No. Mixing it? I know how to mix dust, but the exact reason why it works, I don't know. Is that all?"

Leaning back on the table, Quinn sighed and responded, "Yeah. That's all." Staring directly at Oscar's eyes, Quinn asked, "Ozpin, do you know how Dust was formed?"

Suddenly, Quinn's throat is held back by a massive sword held by Qrow. Not bothered at the least, Quinn continued, "You were there, yeah?" Ozpin looking back at Quinn, he inquired, "You seem to know a lot, Mr..."

"Quinn."

Nodding, "Mr Quinn. How did you get this information?" A smile grows on Quinn's face as he answered, "Heh, now that's a mystery, yeah? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I mean, imagine the public's reaction when they find out Salem's existence."

Eyes widening, Qrow said, "And they won't" as he pulled back his sword, bent on decapitating Quinn. Nothing. The blade doesn't move. "Nice try." Quinn quipped, "Kids are here Qrow." Qrow, looking back and forth at the kids, Quinn and Ozpin. Receiving a signal from Ozpin, he growled as he released his hold.

"Now, what do you want, Mr Quinn?" Ozpin asked, "You seem to know a great deal, you should know the knowledge you have is incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands."

Chuckling to himself, Quinn replied, "Oh, I know. As I said, I won't tell anyone, I'm just trying to learn everything that is to know. Nothing more, nothing less. It's my final goal, you see?"

"Hmm, and how did a young man such as you decide to make this your final goal?"

"Heh. Circumstances."

"I see..." Ozpin turned his gaze away from Quinn, a contemplative look on his face, "I am sorry, I don't know how Dust came to be. Nor how mixing them truly works."

A frown appears on Quinn's face, "I see." A smile. "Well then. No help I guess. Weiss!" The Heiress jolted up in surprise, "Do you think Atlas would have some inkling of the knowledge I seek?"

"I don't know," Weiss answered slowly, "maybe?" Standing up, Quinn muttered, "Maybe Polendina would know something."

Addressing the rest, Quinn asked one last question, "Do you guys want help? I know you people are wanting to get to Atlas."

"Do you have a way to get there?" Ruby questioned eagerly. Looking at her, Quinn chuckled, "Heh, yes." Before the rest could react, "But it only works for me. The help I'm offering is much more... important. Do you want it? Don't worry, you guys can tell me your answer tomorrow. You'll find me at the library."

* * *

The next morning, Quinn is seen hunched over, staring at - to others - an empty space above a cube. "Ok, so basically, Dust is chakra... am I getting this right?"

[It appears so, sir. The combinations are very similar to the system of chakra.]

"I see... that makes it easier I guess, but how and why?"

[I do not know, sir]

"Rhetorical question, VSM, rhetorical question." Looking up, Quinn finally noticed the time, 12pm. Blinking once, "Huh. How long was I up?" The unit in front of him replied, [No answer sir, you have been awake since that time.] Face scrunching up, Quinn said back, "No, no. How long have I been awake since the talk with Ozzy and the gang."

[15 hours, sir.] The unit replied. "That's better. Do you think they'll accept my help? I was quite suspicious last night." Beeping is heard from every unit, reminiscent of a laugh, [Suspicious does not hold up, sir.] Grinning, Quinn replied in a mock abashed tone, "Hey!"

[Anyways, sir. The quick teleport system has passed all testing. You can travel anywhere in this universe, as long as you know where it is]

The beeping suddenly stops, [Sir, it would appear that Ruby Rose is approaching.] Turning around, Quinn spotted said Rose and raised an eyebrow to her. "Ah! Ruby! Wasn't sure when you guys were coming. Or is it just you?"

"No, it's just me Mr Quinn" Ruby replied. Staring for a few moments, Quinn then said, "Bah! None of that Mr stuff to me. Do I look old? Anyways, do you guys accept?"

Shaking her head, Ruby replied positively. "Good, good. Everyone needs help now and again, yeah?" Quinn laughed, "Alright then. Take it."

"Uh... take what exactly?" Ruby asked, confused as to what Quinn was referring to. "What do you think? The cube!" Quinn answered, "Take it. It's your help in your greatest time of need in your journey to Atlas. A... last resort, I would say. Don't worry, you'll know how to use it when you need to. Don't want to make it too easy, I need those mystery points, you know?"

"Ok?"

"Anyways, I better get to Atlas," Quinn stated, taking a small knife and slicing off a shard from the Gem hanging around his neck. Commanding 6 units to circle it in midair, the shard began pulsating with power, it's mass increasing rapidly, the final product being a vortex suspended midair, perpendicular to the ground.

Ruby, not knowing what was going on, could only stare in awe. "See you there Rubes." Was Quinn's final saying before he entered the vortex and disappeared.

"That. Was. So. COOL!"


	5. Chapter V

"Ah, Atlas. The frozen tundra of northern Remnant, the everlasting cold of snow and steel. Surrounded by the march of technology... smells like home, eh VSM?"

[That may be, sir. But you are currently surrounded by the military, on the edge of the giant floating landmass called Atlas.]

Looking down, Quinn is indeed right on the edge, gazing into the burning embers down below. Nice.

A man, dressed in military garb with massive shoulder pads, grabbed a megaphone and shouted to Quinn, "Sir, you are in a restricted area! Please stand down and we will not shoot."

Staring at the man, Quinn shouted back, "Don't shoot! I came here accidentally!" putting his hands in the air, concealing the VSM and walking towards the officer slowly, "Relax! I don't have any weaponry!"

Coming closer to the contingent, Quinn was handcuffed and escorted to a military hostile containment vehicle to be delivered to a holding cell for interrogation. Sitting in the vehicle, Quinn sent a mental command for VSM to start mapping out the entirety of Atlas, or at least the places he's been.

Peering out the window, Quinn observed the towering buildings of Atlas, its citizens milling about like clueless fish. Studying their faces, Quinn could see that the less well-off civilians had worry beset on their fronts, while the richer were nonchalant. "Probably due to Beacon falling. A growing fear from a population this large would draw in Grimm." Shifting his gaze skywards, "That would explain the large number of ships in the sky. James must be worried."

* * *

Minutes later, Quinn is escorted to an interrogation room. Dimly lit with a simple table and a door to his front. "Heh, is Oz gonna pop out?" joked Quinn to himself.

The door opens, and a tall man enters the room. James Ironwood, General of the Atlas Military, and Headmaster of Atlas Academy. At an impressive height of 6 foot 6 inches, the Ironwood is dressed in formal military garb, leaning more to a suit than anything. Ironwood looks to Quinn for a moment when he starts speaking, "Mr... Baethan Quinn, born on Mistral, parents deceased, researcher. Now, why would a man like you be found in restricted military property?"

Blinking once, Quinn starts to chuckle to himself, "James relax... " squinting his eyes at the informal tone, Ironwood began, "General Ironwood to you." Raising a brow, Quinn continued, "I arrived there on accident, don't worry."

"And how did you get here. There is a 24/7 patrol on the borders of Atlas, and you were not marked as a visitor."

"I was getting to that. You see, I was conducting an experiment, where I was to travel to a specific location, specifically just outside Atlas, but I got the coordinates wrong."

"And what was the experiment?"

"Personal transportation. Easy stuff."

Ironwood began to speak, "That does-"

"Came from Mistral, Qrow's coming around in a few days... maybe a week. He's got Ozpin."

Pausing, Ironwood stared at Quinn, a blank face betraying no emotions when he spoke, "And where is your proof? A random person appearing, claiming that a presumed dead man is coming here? Why should I believe you?"

"Heh. James relax. I'm in the know, the Maidens, the Queen, Ozzy's body switching, relax. You can trust me, I helped them before coming here."

"That doesn't prove anything."

"What if I called them and show you?"

"Impossible, the CCT is down. Communication between kingdoms is impossible."

"Not with me. But maybe now would not be the safest time to contact Qrow, and subsequently Ozpin. Lionheart may see them."

"And why are you so worried about Lionheart. He's our comrade in arms against Salem."

"Don't worry about it. Give me a week, and I can safely get in contact with Qrow. In the meantime, could I get out? It would be awfully boring to sit around and do anything."

Staring at Quinn, Ironwood considered his options. Trust an unknown factor and allow him to go free, or lock him up. Easy fix for Ironwood. "No. You are staying in a cell for a week until you can prove that you are indeed an ally. Be glad I am giving you this privilege."

"What if I helped you?" Quinn offered, "I am a researcher and a scientist. I could help you in the RnD department. It would be terribly boring for me to do nothing for a week, you can even have 24/7 surveillance on me, not much for me to hide."

"Why would you help us? What's in it for you?" Ironwood asked. Shrugging, Quinn answered, "I'm a researcher, I yearn to learn about everything. And if I help some people on the way, I wouldn't mind."

Taking a minute to contemplate this new development, Ironwood finally spoke, "Very well. I'll give you this chance, purely on the fact that you have at least been cordial."

"That's good."

"But! If you do anything suspicious at all, I'll have you locked up for the rest of your life." Ironwood warned.

"Not a problem James, not a problem.

"Hm." Bringing his scroll to his ear, Ironwood spoke a few commands, "Bring in Specialist Schnee to Interrogation Room 4 immediately." Minutes later, the door opens revealing a tall young woman, white-haired and dressed similar to Ironwood, but less grandiose. Facial features similar to Weiss, Quinn quickly identified her as Winter Schnee, sister to Weiss Schnee.

"Sir!" Winter saluted, standing at attention, "You summoned?"

Ironwood replied, "Yes. I am posting you as a handler to our dear friend here for the duration of his stay, make sure he doesn't do anything suspicious. I will be sending you more details of your assignment later. Take this time to get to know each other."

"Yes, sir!" Winter saluted, with that Ironwood left the two and headed straight to his office.

With the closing of the doors, Winter turned in place to look at Quinn. Quinn, who at the moment, had already gotten rid of his cuffs was now tapping the table. "So, you like jazz?" he introduced. Silence. "How about smooth jazz?" he tried once more. Silence. "Ok then, you don't like jazz. A shame... any interest at all?" Silence. "You like Qrow." Quinn stated.

That got a reaction, Winter did a double take and started to vehemently protest the statement. "No! Who would ever be attracted to that cur!" Winter spouted out. "Ha!" Quinn laughed, "That got a reaction."

Winter's face is beset with indignation as Quinn continued, "But a bit too fast for a reaction eh? Trying to hide something, Snow Angel?"

"Dear Oum, it's another one." Leaning back on his chair, Quinn demurred, "Nah! You're just an easy target, not unlike your sister."

Eyes sharpening, Winter demanded, "What do you know of Weiss?"

"Relax Win', if you would read your assignment requisites, you'll understand, in fact, it should be sent to you right about now."

Ding! Winter, in surprise, took out her scroll, and lo and behold, her assignment requisites were indeed just sent to her. Scanning through the folder, Winter's eyebrows shot up.

"Yeah. So could you lead me to the RnD department? I would like to start working. It is boring in here, you don't even like jazz!"

"I assure you, I have no problem with jazz. I just prefer other musical outlets compared to it. But yes, we can go now." Standing up Winter, followed by Quinn, headed out the door.

Looking back down her scroll, Winter read off the instructions more closely, "Ok, your room #34, luckily for you, it is the closest to the RnD division."

Stopping in front of a door, Winter announced, "R-34, your room" continuing on the corridor, Winter and Quinn entered a large room filled with machinery and people milling about doing various tasks, "And this is the RnD division."

"Huh, big place," Quinn noted

"Yes, the RnD division in Atlas is the largest branch."

"Not as impressive as my place, but you know..."

"What do you mean your place?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Moving on, says here you will be posted with... Dr Polendina?" Winter continued on. Thinking to himself, "Doc P? That's good, I got some questions for him."

"Interesting, the doctor is posted at the back, the General seems to be trusting of you to have you with the Doctor."

"Ah what can I say, I'm quite convincing when I want to be."

Entering through a door tucked away at the back, Winter and Quinn rode an elevator down an unknown amount of floors. When it stopped, the exited to a smaller lab but with seemingly more specialised machinery. Quinn spotted a balding, tanned old man working tirelessly on a presumably sleeping girl.

"Penny... Haha! She's been fixed!" Quinn mentally cheered, "But not waking up?"

"Dr Polendina. This is the man that has been posted with you." Winter introduced, "If you have any questions, please consult the folder that has been sent to you, or ask Quinn."

Face beset with fatigue, the doctor faced Winter and Quinn and replied, "Of course Specialist, just leave him here."

"Very well, if Quinn does anything suspicious, please report it to the General or me. You also have permission to use force to subdue him, if possible."

"Hey!" exclaimed Quinn indignantly, "I'm right here."

Ignoring his claims Winter walked off, leaving Quinn and Dr Polendina alone. Deciding to break the ice, Quinn started, "So? Trying to fix Penny? She seems about alright."

Ignoring Quinn, the Dr went back to his work. "Not a fan of small talk I guess." Taking the time to explore the relatively small Lab, Quinn noted that most of the devices were hooked up to the central pod, where Penny was being held.

Coming close to observe the girl, Quinn noted some improvements from her previous iteration, a more organic looking skin, less exposed machinery and the like.

"What do you know of Penny?" the doctor finally asked.

Walking over to him, Quinn replied, "Not much, just the bare minimum. First synthetic soul. Working artificial aura, you know. How did you do it?"

"Classified."

"Doc, everything here is classified, and me just knowing that this is going on already grants me automatic declassification."

"That's not how that works boy. But I can see your point, the Ironwood posted you with me and gave you access to some classified information. Now, what do you know of the science concerning Penny?"

"Eh, not much, but give me the papers and I'll get back to you in a couple of hours. In fact, " Quinn said, slapping a unit on top of Polendina's computer, "Give me a few seconds."

"What is that?"

"Hm? My greatest work. You have Penny, I have this." Quinn replied smiling.

"And what does it do?" Polendina asked, curious, his scientific mind running.

"Ha! Not it doc, not it. VSM is my best friend."

[Thank you, sir.]

Eyebrows shooting up in surprise, Polendina asks, "A talking machine, is it like Penny?"

"Similar, but no. But we're getting distracted. Your folders here, show that Penny is fixed, but she's not waking up. Why?"

"You got all that, that fast?" Polendina exclaimed, "No matter. Yes, Penny is indeed fixed, but the Aura generator is not working, it seems that the old system is broken, Dust isn't working to kickstart the process."

"You used Dust to power Penny? I thought she was powered by her soul?" Quinn asked, surprised.

"No, no. We used dust to kickstart the process, Penny's soul can power her through, but the Dust is the catalyst. She did use to need a recharge every night, but that was for insurance. Her new body wouldn't need that recharge anymore."

"Dust isn't working eh? That segues neatly to my question, do you know how the mixing of dust works?"

"Dust mixing? No, you would need to speak with the scientist at the SDC to get that, I do know that it has something to do with their properties mutating. But why? I do not know."

"Huh, too bad. Anyways, can I try something? It may work, and if it doesn't, it won't do anything." Quinn asked, taking hold of a shard

Squinting his eyes on the shard, Polendina asked, "What is that? Dust? It already doesn't work. Why try again?"

"Don't worry, I gotta feeling this has a higher chance of working, it is what powers my VSM."

"I don't know... We may need to get Ironwoods green light, it is an unknown factor."

"Bah! Nothing ventured, nothing gained Doctor! Where's your scientific spirit!"

Sighing, Polendina replied, "I don't know why I should trust you, we just met." Looking up, a glint is seen in his eyes, "But your right, go ahead."

"Heh. Me too, Doctor." Quinn cheered, placing the shard in Penny's internal generator.

Taking a step back, a small spark of electricity jumped upped from Penny. Soon that single spark multiplied exponentially, bouncing from the generator and spreading across Penny's body.

"Hmmm..." Quinn muttered, commanding VSM to contain violently growing reaction. "Penny!" Polendina shouted.

"Don't worry, Doc. She'll be safe." Quinn said, holding the doctor back.

Penny's body starts to twitch and convulse. The sparks of electricity, bouncing lower and lower until it forms a skin-tight covering. Sooner or later, that too receded into Penny's body, until it stopped. Boom! A sudden burst of harsh light flashed, filling the barrier the VSM erected in its embrace. As suddenly as it appeared, the light collapsed upon itself like a star. Silence.

Dumbfounded, Quinn and Polendina slowly approached the central pod, Quinn dispelling the VSM units. Coming close, both see Penny still sleeping.

Quinn started, "Guess it didn't wor - " Penny's eyes flew open, staring vacantly towards the ceiling. Turning towards Polendina, Penny spoke, "Father? Where am I?"

Tearing up, Polendina embraced Penny gently, crying into her shoulders, body shaking with emotions, "My little girl, you're alright..." the doctor cried. Confused Penny asked, "Father? What's wrong?"

Leaving the two alone for the moment, Quinn went to the computer monitoring Penny's vitals. "Hmmm... some memory loss, but that's fine, we don't want that trauma." He observed, "Oh? What's this? The artificial soul has been replaced?!"

Turning to the father and daughter, Quinn ordered a unit to scan Penny. Looking at the scans, Quinn's eyebrows shot upwards as he analysed the data. "Holy... an organic soul. Did the void influence this? But how? And why?"

[Sir.]

"Yeah?"

[I should think that you let that go.]

"Oh? Why?"

[Not forever, sir. Just for now. For now, just let them enjoy each others company]

"Eh, fair enough."

* * *

A week passed, and Quinn is seen once again hunched over a unit, reading and the such. The week brought new light to Quinn on the topic on dust. "VSM, am I stupid?" he asks, "I feel like I'm stupid."

[Sir, it's not your fault, Dust is a different energy source from our place. And therefore, nobody would blame you for not thinking about the simplicity of its mixtures. You're not perfect, sir. And that's fine.]

"Thanks." Quinn said, "Though this week was something, eh? Who knew such a simple thing would get me in the good graces of everyone here, well... specifically James, Win' and Doc, but semantics."

[Not surprising at all, sir. You did revive Penny after all.]

"Yeah... anyway, it's been a week, it should be alright to contact Rubes by now. Let's go to James' office."

"No need," the voice of Ironwood spoke out behind him, surprising Quinn, "Don't think I forgot, you may have helped Penny, but you are still an unknown."

"James! Jesus, jeepers, jinkies... j-word..." Quinn rattled off, "Well since you're here, let's call Qrow." Summoning a VSM unit, Quinn commanded it to call the one he gave Ruby.

"Change to a large screen," Quinn said, and so it was.

"Amazing. Do you know how this kind of tech would help us against the Grimm?" Ironwood exclaimed

"Yeah, it would. Too bad Dust doesn't work with the VSM as a secondary power source."

Flickering to life, the screen changed to a live video of Qrow and the gang. "Oh, it's you. We were worried about what was going on with this, thing you gave us."

"Qrow! Question, where are you guys?"

"Hm? We're just about to board the Argus Limited to Atlas. Should be there in a few days."

"Qrow is Ozpin with you?" Ironwood butted in.

"Oh, Jimmy! Yeah, yeah, Oz is here." Qrow replied, "Oscar, come here!"

"Yes, Mr Qrow?"

"Qrow, this is a boy." Ironwood deadpanned

Looking at Ironwood, Oscar's eyes briefly flashed gold, as his tone and stance changed.

"Ah, James. Good to see you." Oscar, now Ozpin, said

"Ozpin?"

"Yes James, seems like I've been returned in young Oscar's body this time."

"I see," Ironwood said, "And I am to assume that you will be arriving in a few days?"

"Yes."

"I'll have accommodations prepared."

"Thank you, James."

Getting off the call, Quinn recalled the unit to him and looked towards Ironwood, "So? Believe me now?"

"Yes, it seems you were indeed telling the truth." Ironwood relented. Shrugging, Quinn replied, "Don't worry about it, I understand." Looking around, "can I go now? I have something to test out in the lab."

"Very well, go."

* * *

Walking towards Dr Polendina's lab, Quinn mentally conversed with the VSM, "So how did the battle with Salem's forces go? Did you have to intervene?"

[No, sir. The battle went as usual, and my interference was unrequired.]

"Hmm, not much changed with the main group I see. That's good, I was worried I changed too much. And them still being at the station. Send a command to the unit they have, protect them from the crash, but don't prevent it. Wouldn't want them to be too injured."

[Already sent the command, sir.]

"That's good." Quinn stated, "Anyways, Doctor! How's it going!" The man himself turned towards Quinn with a large grin on his face, the Doctor has been on a constant high ever since Penny was revived, "Quinn! It's been good, Penny's getting through all the prechecks without any problems."

"That's fantastic," commented Quinn, looking through the glass pane, separating the lab and a testing room. In the testing room, Quinn could see Penny going through a combat test. Being swarmed by solid Grimm holograms. She was currently utilising her blades as a blender, massacring the constructs. Jumping up, she recalled the blades, spinning them in front of her and firing a massive beam of energy directly into her enemies, obliterating them.

"Is her power output greater than it was before?" Quinn thought eyebrow raised.

"Impressive. And her aura meter is barely below 50%." He commented.

"Yes, Penny is doing even better than her previous iteration. Quinn, " Polendina faced Quinn, "What was that shard you placed in her?"

Smirking Quinn replied, "Took you this long to ask, eh?"

Face determined, Polendina responded, "Sorry Quinn, I couldn't quell my curiosity for too long."

"Haha! Yeah, I understand that feeling."

"So?"

"Hm. The shard is from this Gem here, around my neck, " Quinn said, "The shards nothing special, just an energy cell. Of course, it contains a stupid amount of energy, but still just an energy cell."

"How about that Gem?"

"Heh. Just an even bigger energy cell. Where it gets its energy though... well, I can't explain that to you."

"I see..."

"Heh, don't worry about it Doc' it won't do anything harmful to Penny, I assure you."

"Thank you Quinn, again."

"Heh."

* * *

**AN**

**Hey, Chapter 5. Yay.**


	6. Chapter VI

A canvass of midnight blue, dotted by countless stars. Azures blanketed in heavenly jewelled auroras, Quinn sat amongst - held up by a VSM constructed chair drinking tea, high above the kingdom's alabaster exterior, at least the more affluent part. It being a landmass floating above the earth, held up by gravity Dust, anchored to the land by gargantuan cables lodged into the ground.

"Nice view, eh V?" Quinn looked over the frozen expense of Atlas, [It is indeed, sir] a VSM unit floated up next to him, [More tea?]. Lifting up his cup, "Of course."

Taking a sip, "So what now? We're done with Dust, and I can't use Aura, so that's pointless. I have everything I wanted from Remnant, at least I think so... Did I miss anything?"

[No, sir. You should be alright to leave, you do not have any obligations here. Though, maybe you'll be interested in the Relics?]

"Oh yeah! The Relics! We know that Knowledge is with Ruby, but the rest? No. Should we even go for them anyways? It would be troublesome if Salem caught wind of us. An unknown factor."

Whirring, [I would not worry about that, sir. Reports from the unit you passed, show that it only activated on the train crash and the Leviathan Grimm, and just to protect, not attack.]

Gazing into the distance, "Hmm... did it record Knowledge's ...uh... 'energy signature'?"

[Yes, sir. It is comparable to Dust but more in tune to Aura. It is incredibly noticeable when using the right equipment. Luckily for us, we have that.]

"Good, good. Then we'll research the Relics then. It would be nice to know how they function" Grinning to himself, "Maybe even get a connection to those two brothers."

Noticing a glint of silver on the distance, Quinn started, "Well, looks like they're here. Should probably greet them, need to tell James though, he's gonna want to find out where I've been. Don't wanna have to deal with Winter right now."

[Not to worry, sir. I have already informed the General about your absence and that Ozpin is arriving.]

Quickly finding himself at the docks, Quinn calmly set up a seat and desk to prop his feet over and carried on drinking his tea. "This is some excellent tea, chamomile if I'm not wrong." Watching the Bullhead land, "You think they'll want some?"

The Bullhead touched down, and 10 individual exited the vehicle, RWBY, JNR, Oscar, Qrow and another, a short old lady with a mechanical construct over what would be her eyes. "Hey! It's Maria! Damn, I knew she was short but shorter than Neo?"

"Oh! They noticed me." Taking another sip of his drink, Quinn waited for the large group to approach him. "Hey, guys! How's it going?" he greeted, "Want some tea?"

"Hello, Mr Quinn," Ruby answered offering a smile "No tea thanks, how are you doing?"

Ordering the unit with her, Quinn returned "Not bad, unlike you guys... jeez, fighting a Leviathan, eh?"

"And how would you know that?"

Facing the origin of the voice, "Relax Qrow, this bad boy records everything around it." Quinn explained, patting the unit, "You're welcome, by the way."

"Oh, yes! Sorry." Thanked Oscar, "It really helped."

Standing up and dusting his pants, "Of course, " deconstructing the table and chair, "I told James you guys are here, he should be at his office. I asked him to get you guys rooms at the Academy."

"Thank you." The kids replied.

"Don't mention it. Qrow should know where to go." Turning to the short woman and offering a bow, "And it is an honour to meet the Grimm Reaper herself, an unfortunate thing to lose one's sight."

"Oh? You know of me? That's a surprise; usually, the younger folk are not interested in old people like me."

"Heh, older than I look, ma'am, " Checking the time, "Anyways, I'm late for something, see you guys later." With that Quinn left for the research lab, ears pricking up from a comment from one of the group, "Older than he looks?"

Arriving at the RnD lab, Quinn headed towards the doctor's station, offering greetings to those he passed. "Hey, doc! Where's Penny? I have something she might want to see."

"Good evening, Quinn. Penny? She should be at the - "

"Father Quinn!" At the sudden, a ginger rocket burst into the station, attaching itself to Quinn, squeezing him with the force of a locomotive. "V!" Quinn thought, immediately, his body flashed a silent purple encased in a protective layer, "Thank you."

"Evening Penny. I've got a surprise for you." Quinn laughed, patting her head, "It should be at James' office in a few, do you want to go together?"

"A surprise?! Oh, most wondrous days! A surprise! Thank you, Father Quinn. Of course, I would like to go with you." she replied, jumping to her feet and started towards Ironwood's office.

"Heh."

Walking side by side down the halls of Atlas Academy, Penny inquired, "So Father, what is this surprise you have prepared?"

Chuckling to himself, "Penny, it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you."

"I suppose..."

"Don't worry, you'll find out soon," standing in front of Ironwood's door, voices can be heard from the inside, "We're already here anyway."

Knocking on the door and waiting shortly before entering the room, Quinn asked Penny to wait outside the door. "Hey, James! Are Qrow and the rest here? I got a surprise for them, you would know what it is."

"Quinn? What are you doing here? Winter is supposed to be with you."

"Bah! Don't worry about it." abashedly redirected Quinn turning to face the now noticed Ruby, "There you are! I got something to show you. "Penny!"

The aforementioned girl entered the room and when eye-contact was made between Ruby and Penny, a small moment of silence permeated across the room, both eyes' slowly tearing up when Ruby initiated the first reaction, "PENNY/Ruby!"

With that Ruby, using her Semblance, rushed towards Penny, knocking her down, tears of joy carving her path, splattering the ground. Babbling from Ruby, and confusion from Penny. The rest of team RWBY quickly got out of their shock and tentatively approached the duo.

Grinning at the reunion, Quinn mentally commanded a VSM unit to discretely approach the Relic hanging on Ruby's hip and to replace it with itself and to store the real Relic in another unit. "That was way too easy, " Quinn thought, "Good for me, not for them."

"Well," Quinn announced, "This has all been well and good, but I'm gonna hit the sack." Looking at Penny directly before exiting the room, "Have fun now."

"Let's get back to the skies, eh?" stepping on several units, Quinn commanded the VSM to fly directly up to where they were prior, zooming past the towers that were Atlas Academy. "Do you think she'll know what we want to find out?" wondered Quinn. [Probably everything about this world, but nothing else.]

Stopping his ascent, Quinn commanded the VSM to construct a small platform to stand on and the same chair to take a seat. Seated down, Quinn grabbed ahold of the Relic of Knowledge, "Record everything, especially the time stop effect, I may be able to use it as a base for time travel." Observing the golden lamp known as the Relic, Quinn narrowed his eyes and whispered its name. "Jinn."

The world stopped. Silence. Winds cease to howl, smoke stops to a halt. The skies froze and the stars halted. Readings - cold. Sensations - normal. Peculiar. [Time stop readings completed.] Fantastic. The Relic moved, floating out of Quinn's hand, slowly spinning in place as it flew a few feet in front of him. Stopping in place, still spinning, light blue smoke spilling out of every inch of the Relic, twisting with the Relic as it gained velocity and volume.

A voluptuous female figure emerged from the smoke - floating in ethereal grace, solidifying it into a dress. Hair of navy blue shines through, plump lips of similar hue and skin of lighter blue. Golden chains materialise, encapsulating her ankles and wrists, a belt of gilded gold, circlet enchained, hooped earrings and choker gold.

Elven features pointed ears, iris of blue and sclera black. Eyes of aged and wisdom gained, young yet old, a soft gaze but sharpened glint. A smile of contempt adorned her face, knowing visage and friendly aura.

She looks at Quinn and starts, a curious look besets her face as she spoke, "I am Jinn, a being created by the God of Light to aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. I've been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one hundred years. You're in luck, as I am still able to answer - "

"One more question." Quinn interrupted her as he took his seat, muttering to himself, "Interesting, very interesting," Observing Jinn and taking note of the curious expression she wore, "You seem to have a question yourself."

Raising an eyebrow, "Observant. But no," She laughs, "I may have questions, but it isn't my purpose."

"Purpose is arbitrary. Do what you want." Quinn pointed out, gesturing for a cup of tea, "Aren't you curious about me? I'll answer it if you ask."

Growing silent and contemplative, Jinn relented, "Very well, who are you? You are hidden from my limited omniscience. Either you are the future itself, something I cannot glean from, or something else."

Chuckling to himself, "Not from the future, haven't got that far yet. Definitely something else." Sip, "Before I answer you, my question. Enlighten me on everything you know. What do you know?"

Eyes widening in the presence of such a magnitudinous question, "I know many things, past and present. I don't think your mind can contain such information." Jinn warned.

"Don't worry about it. I'll deal with the backlash. I may not be able to retain everything, but that is why I have this little guy."

[Appreciate it, sir]

"Very well."

"Hold on. Actually, just transfer everything you currently know in this unit." Holding one out in front of Jinn, "Should be easy for you."

"Very well."

* * *

"That is a lot of data. Your title of Relic of Knowledge is not unfounded, I see. Good. Now, you asked who I was?"

"Yes."

"I am Quinn, Baethan Quinn. That is who I am, and who I shall be until I deem myself no longer worthy of such a name. Before me, I was a simple man, holding a name of such commonality, I have forgotten it to the sands of time. What I did, was what every sentient being will do. Reach perfection. And that is all I am. A man, a foolish man who counselled himself to attain his goals, ultimately reach them, and regretted my decision constantly."

"Reach your goals?"

"Yes. The biggest mistake of my life." Noticing Jinn's face, "Don't ask. You will regret it too."

"Very well. The final question has been asked for this century. And so I shall retreat back and answer once again in a hundred years."

"Fair enough, it would delay Salem. Can't believe Ozpin didn't think of this."

With that, Jinn retreated back in the Relic, and the world began to move once more. "Nice lady, could do with some clothes though," Quinn commented to the VSM, "Delete everything not related to what we need, should cut down a lot of things."

[Yes, sir]

Looking back down to the academy, "Better switch this back, with the fake one." Commanding the VSM, "Surround the Relic, copy its image and displace yourself with the decoy. Come back immediately."

[Right away, sir.] A unit then consumed the Relic, taking it within itself, and with two flashes of purple and the unit seemingly replicated itself. "Anything interesting happened?"

[No, sir. It has literally been 5 minutes. None of the people had noticed the switching of the Relics.]

"Good," gazing into the nightly horizons, "We should probably leave now, we have nothing left to do here. We should head to Salem. Should be interesting to see exactly how the Grimm are formed."

[You could always look at the records, sir.]

"Nah, that's good, and all but nothing compares to looking at events directly. Also, a chance to talk to the 'bad guys' who could pass that up?" Quinn waved away, "I have you to protect me too, remember?"

[Alright then, sir.]

"Anyways, " waving his hand to open a console to look at a world map, "Where are they located anyways? On the map."

[South-west of here, sir. That dragon-shaped continent, the darkest part is where Salem is.]

"Spooky stuff my guy. Let's go then." Waving his hand, a unit flew up in front of him and opened a portal, before entering the opening, "Maybe work on the speed, eh?"

[Of course, sir. But you're gonna have to do that. I can only manipulate the code, not entirely rework it.]

"Yeah. Well, onwards and upwards."

Entering the portal, Quinn noticed the sudden shift in both lighting and atmosphere. The clear dark navy night skies of Atlas gave way to the harsh red clouds and blackened skies of the Land of Darkness. The ground was barren and bleak, portions of it jutting out in random order. Pillars of dark purple crystals dotted the land.

Breathing in, Quinn noticed that the air was unusually humid and warm for a place beset in darkness. "Interesting, " observing the crystal pillars, "Are these Dust crystals?" Walking up to one of them, Quinn formed a small knife to scrape out a small piece of the pillar, "It looks like Dust... but it seems inert..."

Grabbing hold of a unit, Quinn began to slowly slice off more pieces of the pillar to study, placing them within the unit itself, "Maybe I can pass these off to Polendina, as a gift."

[Sir, a black pool is located about a kilometre away from here. Highly likely to be a Grimm spawning location.]

"Right, right, just let me finish with this pillar."

[Sir, you're on a different one, you completely mined out the previous one]

"Fine, fine. Set a unit to continuously mine out pillars."

[Of course, sir. Would you like to teleport to the pool or travel manually]

"Well, the pools get more and more common the closer we are to Salem's castle. It wouldn't be wrong to assume that she would have an easier time to notice us approaching. We gotta be quiet this time."

[Of course, sir... So, Quad-Bike?]

"Quad-Bike"

* * *

"Making my way downtown, ridin' fast, gainin' class, and I'm gone now."

[Sir, though the bike has sound suppression on it, you don't. So, please.]

"Bah! Whatever." Exhaling loudly, pressing a button on the bike, "Auto-pilot... So, bring up the time-stop readings."

A unit opened up, revealing a screen with graphs, charts, tables, calculations, recordings. "Hmm... ok so the actual relic itself is the thing that provides the energy that Jinn uses to move the user of the Relic to experience time to be stopped."

Pressing a video recording on the screen, "But how? And where is it getting the energy?" Looking closely, "Just before time stopped, the Relic flashed gold, but Jinn produced blue energy, primarily, so where did the gold come from?"

[Maybe an energy boost provided by the two Brothers, sir?]

"Perhaps, perhaps." Looking up, Quinn noticed a small dark patch of land, it's movements similar to liquids, "Slow down, we're here."

Slowing to a stop, jumping out and sitting down. Quinn observed the pool of darkness. It's voided visage, Quinn noted, not apathetic as the Place, more violent, malevolent in nature. But a crying centrepiece paradoxically deep within. Tears were shed in the creation of the pool. An effort, done in vain, but an effort nonetheless.

It's jealous, angry, looking for something not found. "Sad, really. A god who cried and did his best to match another. Pity was given when appreciation was needed. A flawed creature made from a union."

[Sir, something is coming out of the pool.]

Rising from the pitiful depths, a relatively small beowolf crawled its way out of the pool of black and began trekking north of its position. "I'm guessing that Salem's castle is located towards the north of here."

[Would not be wrong, sir.]

"Well, the coast looks clear, we could probably get a sample of the water. Should be interesting to see." Walking out of his hiding place, Quinn approached the pool, slowing down the closer he got to it.

Kneeling over the pool, Quinn took a whiff of the water, "Acidic scent... now, taste... "

[Sir.]

"Hm?"

[No taste. Don't. Sir]

"..."

Forming a few test tubes and stoppers, Quinn began collecting the liquid. "So, we should head on over to Salem's castle, poke around a bit and see if we can get an audience with her."

[Of course, sir. However, I recommend that you use a better defensive system. The anti-kinetic field is good, but direct spatial, and if we're not careful, chemical effects may still harm you.]

"Yeah... too bad I'm still technically an organic." growing a contemplative look, slowly grinning, "Heh... that's an idea..."

[Sir, no.]

"...

* * *

**AN**

**Sorry about the slow updates, exams are coming up and the IB program is just... why...**

**Welp.**


	7. Chapter VII

"Alright, simulated taste test then." pouted Quinn, "V, take the sample and replicate the senses one would have in its consumption."

[Of course, Sir. The synthesis will take about thirty minutes.] A unit flew up to receive the sample from Quinn's hand and stored it within itself.

Looking back into the pool of black, "That should be enough" Standing up, Quinn silently commanded the VSM to reform the quad-bike to follow the lone Grimm. "Shouldn't be long now, I can already see more and more pools the longer we follow," Quinn noted.

[How do you plan on entering the castle, Sir?]

"Don't know, the plan right now is to sneak in and try to talk to Salem, might learn something from her." shrugging noncommittally, "though, perhaps I should try the door. Might convince her that I mean no harm."

[You would need to hide the fact that you used up the Relic for this century.]

"Yeah, of course... or... we don't do anything about it." Raising an eyebrow, "It's not like they'll know it was me."

[Sir, no matter what happens, you are a suspicious individual to anyone.]

Leaving it at that, Quinn began to notice the looming castle around the horizons. Standing proud around ten thousand feet; a single spiral tower piercing the dark skies, chambered in design, medieval in inspiration. Reminiscent of Beacon, yet twisted in concept. A counter to Ozpin's ideals.

"Intimidating stuff, " approaching the main doors of the castle, Quinn began forming a giant fist, "alright, this should do it." Preparing his arm, Quinn pulled back the recently formed fist and swung it at the door.

Knock, knock. Gently tapping the door, Quinn pulled back and waited a few minutes before trying again. Ten times the pattern repeated each time increasing in volume, and by the eleventh, the doors slowly opened like the gaping maw of a ferocious beast. "Considering the surroundings, an apt description. "Behind the doors, a pair of figures stand in waiting, two men of different builds. The shorter one, standing tall and proud, the air of an educated gentleman, an intelligent glint in his eyes, of a similar disposition to Quinn, a researcher, a doctor. "Arthur Watts and... " The other man, massive in size, towering over 6'. A calm disposition, with silent eyes and weighted down shoulders. "Hazel Rainart, good evening. Is the owner of the house in? I think I have something that she wants." Pulling the Relic of Knowledge out, Quinn observed Arthur and Hazel's eyes widen before answering him.

"I see..." began Watts, "And how exactly can we trust you? An unknown stranger?"

"You can't. Honestly, it would be stupid for you to trust me, " Quinn noted walking forwards and entering the castle ", But Salem already told you to let me in regardless, eh? But don't worry, not a hostile. Just a curious fool."

Squinting their eyes, the two men reluctantly lead Quinn to the main chambers.

_Line Break_

_Sorry for late the late update and the short chapter. With the combination of exams, jobs over the summer, writers block and general seasonal depression, it was hard to write anything._

_Updates should pick up soon, but I can't promise much._


End file.
